"I can tell itâs your first time dealing with such high-level officials."
On the train to Berlin, Elliot was still thinking about the matters concerning the Graham family.
Sevens took it quite lightly, shrugging his shoulders, "Youâre going to Berlin now, and there are plenty of people like him. You need to learn to adapt."
"Adapt... to what? He was... he was..."
Just as Elliot looked up, intending to express how he felt at the time, Sevens softly hushed him.
"Shhâitâs not good to talk about this. In any case, you now know whatâs going on. Weâre like a ragtag band, barefoot from Foxstone.
Obviously, weâre lacking in experience with such large political events, and itâs good that the European Union is sending people to guide us."
Clearly, this "guidance" needs quotation marks, and any ideological training was never part of the plan.
Elliot looked utterly bewildered, and even Lille furrowed his brow slightlyâ
Although Lille used an inorganic metallic body in both Cyberspace and the real world, in Cyberspace, he had a delicate nose and eyes and very refined facial features.
Elliot carefully opened the conversation by asking his brotherâs opinion:
[Elliot: Big brother, whatâs your take on this...]
[Lille: Itâs a complete waste of effort... a meaningless gesture.]
Especially when history is far from complete.
Arasaka Academy has a basis for teaching liberalism: Night City indeed has charges of anti-corporate terrorism.
This charge serves as proof of the immense power Ryan previously granted to corporations. Once a corporation confirms an anti-corporate act, they can retaliate with armed force, originally aimed at those lawless gangs, providing a "legal" buffer zone for armed conflicts among major corporations.
But it ultimately became a catch-all charge, applying to any actions unfavorable to corporations:
However, Night City needs corporations to stir things up to "boost" employment, while the European Union canât have workers going on strike every few days.
They need workers and corporations to develop in order, continuously providing taxes and...
And a comfortable life?
Lille suddenly realized this old nobility lifestyle was also quite empty. Corporations basically serve the interests of their owners, but their business determines in which fields they strive for monopoly and excellence.
This group of old nobility has stakes in almost all European companies; if one company profits, another loses. It doesnât significantly affect them...
Theoretically, all they need is for things to keep happening within the European Union; as long as someone plays by their rules, they can continue to rest at ease.
So... this worker thought education bullshit is just nonsense.
[Johnny: Really pointless? I thought only us rock kids were nihilists.]
[Lille: Itâs not entirely...]
Rulers have only one pursuit: to maintain control.
What is absolute control?
Tell someone to eat shit, and they do; thatâs control.
The more someone abandons, the more obedient they are, the more stable the control.
Does eating shit mean anything to rulers? No, but ensuring that those ruled obediently eat shit is very meaningful...
Itâs the only way to make this abstract concept detectableâendurance of suffering and obedience to orders gain meaning based on this concept.
After hearing this, Elliot just felt...
Is it really that insidious? Isnât it just about memorizing some books? You can learn some history along the way.
[Lille: Then go learn it, you blockhead. Youâre told to learn some technology, and you still canât understand 3D chip architecture!]
Elliot was about to retort when Munemasa suddenly chimed in:
[Munemasa: You havenât even mastered the basics; wanting to learn some high tech can wait for the next life.]
[Munemasa: Also, fatty, did you learn anything from the "thought" materials on the road just now?]
The answer is, absolutely not.
Sevens closed his eyes, tilting his head back awkwardly, and said to Sevens:
"...Brother, I might not be cut out for studying. Iâve known this for a while now; otherwise, I wouldâve passed the civil servant exam and become a civil servant ages ago..."
[Munemasa: The civil servant exam isnât just about this; obviously, you need a decent sociology background. Although I donât understand it, this certainly exists.]
[Munemasa: Face it, your brain just doesnât support deep learning.]
[Lille: But you should work hard to overcome and learn something; thereâs no such thing as a born loser. In reality, youâre doing okay compared to the average person.]
[Munemasa: Thatâs because Iâm a good teacher...]
Whoosh!
Outside the train, a Leifield Holy Sword Floating Car sped pastâ
Another top luxury item not supported by the European civil service system for civil servants to enjoy; to fully own such a car, your bank account must be inexhaustible.
[Lille: Now activate the equipment I taught you, cut off the surveillance signal.]
Elliotâs eyes started to lose focus, his entire attention focused on the operating system in front of him.
All workers have switched to using Cyber Modulators produced by the Workerâs Union, with very detailed parts passed through Lille using cross-dimensional transfer, transported directly to this worldâs components.
From the outside, they look exactly like the produced ones, but they contain a little bit of Holy Chest energy, enabling some information transmission of workers to occur in another world.
Lille transmitted a total of 50,000 Holy Chest energy-packaged devices for use on Cyber Modulators, including transistors, wires, capacitors, resistors, and such, mixed into the production materials.
It cost him 1000 points.
[Current Technology Points: 90000]
Elliot naturally also has such devices on him, and Lille can replenish energy any time by spending Technology Points, allowing more functions.
After tinkering around, Elliotâs head felt a bit heated.
"...Okay, brother, Iâve blocked some unnecessary software and hardware; we can speak openly now."
Sevens froze on the spot.
Elliot enjoyed his dumbfounded expression: "Donât just stand there, I told you I have some tech skills, and donât worry about Network Supervision fishing us out, Iâve already tested it..."
"Holy shit!" Sevens shouted, a terrifying thought flashing through his mind, "AI?"
[Lille: Keep your mind clear, know what you can say and what you canât.]
Elliot shook his head: "That I really donât know, letâs talk about something else. Iâve never worked in the European Unionâs civil service system, not too sure about it."
"Alright then..."
Sevens digested the network skills of his partner but understood this wasnât something for him to worry about:
"...Graham should be a member of the Graham family, and he very likely is the son of the Grand Duke Graham."
"Wouldnât that make him... over sixty?!"
"Could be over sixty, maybe over fifty, but he does look like heâs in his twenties. Thatâs just how they are..."
Sevens paused, "Youâve heard of the Golden Son, right?"